


The Easy Part

by rsadelle



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, F/F, Queer Themes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:01:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26433070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rsadelle/pseuds/rsadelle
Summary: "And your hair." She leans forward, peering closer at Eleanor's hair. There are tears in her eyes. She's really not sober. "So shiny. Got one of those." The girl gestures, drawing out what is probably meant to be a widow's peak with her hands. She reaches out and pushes Eleanor's hair back, both hands on the top of her head like a human Alice band. "Look, love, you've got a face like a heart. Who wouldn't love that?"
Relationships: Eleanor Calder/Louis Tomlinson
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	The Easy Part

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to Lake for encouraging this.

Eleanor peers at herself in the mirror. She pulls her hair forward over her shoulders, considers it, pushes it back again. "Do you think I should dye it?"

"No way," Nicola says as she leans forward to touch up her lipstick.

"Maybe if I were a blonde," Eleanor says.

"Fuck 'em," Jess says. "If they didn't want you, then they're idiots."

Eleanor and Nicola make room for a girl coming out of a cubicle to get between them to wash her hands.

The girl thanks them and squeezes too much soap onto her hands. "Who're idiots?" Her voice has just the slightest rough edge, Northern vowels. She's a few inches shorter than Eleanor, at least in the flats she's wearing compared to Eleanor's heels. Dark hair, sharp chin, boat-necked striped shirt showing off her collarbones and the line of her neck, jeans rolled up above her ankles.

"Modeling agency," Eleanor says. "They rejected me."

The girl gasps, so dramatically that Eleanor starts to grasp that the girl is significantly less sober than she is.

"No! Why?" The girl turns so she's looking right at Eleanor instead of at her reflection in the mirror. "You're so pretty, love."

"Guess they didn't think so."

The girl gasps again. "They're wrong, darling," she says firmly. She waves at Eleanor. "You're so pretty. Lookit your outfit. It's amazing. And your makeup. Aslo- Abslo- Abslute-" The girl waves a hand and gives up. "Brilliant."

Eleanor starts to smile, despite her truly crap day.

"And your hair." She leans forward, peering closer at Eleanor's hair. There are tears in her eyes. She's really not sober. "So shiny. Got one of those." The girl gestures, drawing out what is probably meant to be a widow's peak with her hands. She reaches out and pushes Eleanor's hair back, both hands on the top of her head like a human Alice band. "Look, love, you've got a face like a heart. Who wouldn't love that?"

"Idiots," Jess says.

"Idiots!" The girl beams without letting go of Eleanor. Her hands are warm on Eleanor's head, the heels of them just resting on Eleanor's forehead. They're very close, the girl smiling into her eyes. Eleanor's smile spreads, widening until she's smiling back at the girl. The girl's really very cute.

"There you go, love," the girl says. "Gorgeous."

"Lou." The man's voice coming through the open door is followed by a man - a boy, really - leaning halfway through the door. He looks vaguely familiar, slacks and white t-shirt with a blazer, curly hair and wide mouth. He has his hands spread wide, an apologetic smile on his face. "Excuse me, ladies."

The girl with her hands in Eleanor's hair turns her head to look at the boy briefly. "Harry! This is the ladies. You can't be in here."

"We need to go," Harry says.

The girl, Lou, looks at Eleanor. It feels like they're even closer. Eleanor hasn't had enough to drink yet for the way her skin feels like it's buzzing.

"I'm making friends," Lou says. Her eyes get all wet and teary again.

"If you don't come with me," Harry says, "Paul's coming in here next."

Lou scrunches up her face and throws up her hands. "Fine!" She points at Eleanor. "You, darling, are beautiful. Perfect. Don't listen to idiots." She ducks in and presses a swift kiss to Eleanor's cheek.

Then Harry is ushering her out of the loo, and Eleanor blinks at Nicola and Jess.

"You know what they say about drunk girls in bathrooms," Nicola says.

"Everything they say is true," Jess finishes.

Eleanor looks at herself in the mirror, pulls her hair back like Lou did to see what she saw in the shape of her face. Movement catches her eye; Lou rushes back in, visible in the mirror. Eleanor turns just as Lou reaches her.

"You're gorgeous, darling," Lou says in a rush. She presses a piece of paper into Eleanor's hand. "My number. Text me." She leans in and kisses Eleanor's cheek again before racing out like a whirlwind, leaving Eleanor blinking after her.

"Now we know who you appeal to," Jess says with a bark of laughter. "Just have to find you a modeling agency run by lesbians."

Nicola joins in laughing.

Eleanor smiles a little, and looks at the paper Lou handed her. It has her name scrawled almost illegibly with a sloppy heart and a number. She tucks it carefully into her purse where it won't get lost. She looks at herself in the mirror one last time before turning her back decisively to it. "I need another drink."

Jess throws her arm up with an exuberant shout. "Drinks!"

"Drinks!" Nicola links her arm through Eleanor's. "Let's be the drunk girls telling truths."

Eleanor laughs and goes with them out into the club, but she doesn't forget about Lou and the number in her purse.

*

Eleanor hangs onto Lou's number. After she's recovered from their night out, she takes it out of her purse and sets it on her desk next to her laptop.

She looks at it while she's writing an essay, taking breaks to pick up the piece of paper and trace the sloppy heart with her eyes.

When she decides to text Lou, she doesn't tell anyone about it. She spends twenty minutes taking selfies to get what she thinks is just the right one, and another ten crafting the text to go with it.

_Hi! This is Eleanor. We met last week._

It takes hours for Lou to text her back. Eleanor passes the time by doing her reading and going to dinner with Jess and Nicola.

When she finally does, it's just as enthusiastic as she was in the club.

_Hiii Eleanor!!!! Your name is as gorgeous as you are._

She follows it up with a selfie. She looks tired. Her hair is softer than it was in the club, falling over and around her face in waves. The look in her eyes is warm, and she's managed to take the photo so she's looking right into the camera and it looks like she's looking right at Eleanor.

There's another text after that.

_How's your night?_

_Quiet,_ Eleanor sends back. _Just went to dinner with friends._

She thinks for a second before she adds to that. It's possible Lou is a super friendly person who isn't flirting with her.

_Hoping to hear back from a cute girl who told me I was gorgeous._

Eleanor's heart pounds; if Lou wasn't flirting, that might be the end of things.

_Well gorgeous that cute girl's been waiting for you._

Lou follows that up with a winking emoji, and then another text.

_Had a long day. Been looking forward to a cup of tea and a chat with a pretty girl._

Eleanor buries her face in her hands and mouths, _Oh my God_ , before she can think how to respond to that.

Her fingers shake while she types. It's not that she's never _liked_ a girl before, but she's never _done_ anything about it.

_The pretty girl's here. Got your tea?_

She mouths, _Oh my God_ , again. She's actually flirting with a girl. A girl she met in a club loo no less.

_Going to make it now. You?_

_Have to brave the shared kitchen._

They text about tea for a few minutes. Lou sends her a selfie first, still looking soft and tired, but smiling behind a mug.

Eleanor's heart leaps out of her chest at that smile, just for her. She sends back her own version of the same picture, smiling at Lou from behind her tea.

_Gorgeous._

Eleanor sends back a blushing emoji.

_Tell me about the friends you went to dinner with._

Eleanor tells Lou about Jess and Nicola, which turns into telling her about uni and the halls. In return, Lou tells her a story about the boys she works with and a prank involving popcorn and a skateboard.

Eleanor's grinning over her phone by the time Lou has to go.

_Better get some sleep._

_I'll text you again._

_Night, gorgeous._

There's kiss emoji with it.

Eleanor lets out a sigh that's equal parts disappointment and delight. She sends back a kiss emoji.

_Night Lou. Sleep well._

Eleanor's too giggly and keyed up after that to go back to her essay. She washes her face, changes into her pajamas and climbs into bed where she daydreams about Lou until she falls asleep.

*

It takes a few days before Lou texts her again. Eleanor texts her right back, and then texts her a couple of days later. Soon, they're texting every day, around whatever it is that Lou does that she's vague about and means her schedule is variable.

Eleanor doesn't tell anyone about it. She's not ashamed or anything, but it is something new for her, and she's not ready to explain it to other people yet.

Not ready to come out to people yet.

She joins Jess and Nicola and a bunch of other girls to watch telly one evening, some awards show everyone else wants to watch. Eleanor's wandering around in a bit of a daze, thinking about uni and Lou and not much else, so she doesn't really know what they're watching until it starts.

Twenty minutes in, the presenter introduces One Direction, and the entire room lets out a cheer and then everyone shushes each other.

One Direction comes on stage. Eleanor's heard some of their music, of course, because it's everywhere, but she doesn't really know what they look like. Except she does, because she sees it just before Jess does.

Jess looks from the telly to Eleanor and back again. "Isn't that the girl who gave you her number? The drunk girl in the club?"

"Oh my God," Nicola says. "It is! That drunk girl was Louise Tomlinson and the guy who came to get her was Harry Styles. I knew I recognized him!"

Eleanor stares at the screen. Lou, the Lou she's been texting constantly, _her_ Lou, is Louise Tomlinson, the only woman in the world's most famous band.

"I thought Louise and Harry were dating," someone else says.

"No," another person says, "people just think that because they live together. Louise had a girlfriend a while back."

Lou's good. The band's good. Lou, though, is the one who keeps Eleanor's attention. Her voice and the way she holds herself and the way she moves. She looks gorgeous, in a different way from how she looks in the softly smiling selfies she sends Eleanor. More polished. Makeup and styled hair.

"You could do worse," Jess says. "I mean, if you're going to get hit on by a girl, might as well be a rich, famous one."

Everyone laughs.

That's not what Eleanor likes about Lou at all. She didn't know that about Lou at all.

Only when One Direction's performance is over and the show has moved on does Eleanor text Lou.

_I just watched you on telly. Is that weird?_

Given that the show they're watching is live, Eleanor's surprised by how quickly Lou texts her back.

_Maybe. Was it weird for you?_

It was weird. Eleanor considers how much of that she should say.

_Yeah, a bit. I didn't know you were in One Direction._

There's a long, long minute before Eleanor gets a response.

_I thought you didn't, but I wasn't sure._

_Are you angry I didn't tell you?_

_I liked that you weren't interested just cause of the band._

It seems like Eleanor should be angrier than she feels, but, well, they haven't been texting for that long, and there are plenty of things she hasn't told Lou about herself yet.

_It's a big thing not to mention, but I get why you did._

Nicola nudges Eleanor. "There they are again."

Eleanor looks up. The telly is showing Lou's band in the audience, all five of them looking attentive and smiling into the camera. Lou's phone is nowhere to be seen.

_They're showing you on telly again. You look amazing._

Eleanor adds a heart emoji before she sends it.

Lou sends back a string of hearts.

_Should probably pay attention now. Talk later?_

Eleanor feels a glow of happiness at that.

_Definitely. Text me from the glamorous afterparty._

She sends a heart with that too.

Eleanor doesn't care about the rest of the awards show, but she watches every crowd shot closely, looking for glimpses of Lou. It's like having a celebrity crush, except that her celebrity crush texts her every day.

It's late, everyone scattered back to their own rooms, Eleanor watching cute dog videos on YouTube to stay awake, when Lou texts. It's a selfie, Lou in the middle of the rest of One Direction. They're all attractive, of course, but Eleanor only has eyes for Lou.

_Gorgeous. Are you having fun?_

Eleanor closes her laptop and rolls onto her back, holding her phone up while she waits for Lou to text her back.

_Would be more fun with you._

Eleanor goes warm all over. Lou's _famous_. She's spent her whole evening with other gorgeous, famous people. And she's saying she'd enjoy it more with Eleanor. Eleanor's _nobody_. She's just a uni student who wants to be a model.

Lou texts again before Eleanor can answer.

_I'm sorry I didn't tell you. Probably should have. I'm still learning how to balance it all._

It's late and dark. Eleanor takes a deep breath and decides to be completely honest.

_It's kind of weird that you're famous, but I really like you. I don't want to stop whatever it is we're doing._

Lou texts her back right away.

_I really like you too. I hope what we're doing is leading somewhere else. Like a date._

Eleanor's heart beats faster. She turns on the lamp next to her bed so there's enough light to take a selfie to send to Lou. She smiles at the camera, trying to make it as soft and warm as she feels about Lou. It probably helps that she's obviously in bed.

_I hope it's leading there too._

Lou sends a selfie back to her, just her this time, still looking red carpet ready, but now with the soft kind of smile in the selfies she sends Eleanor.

_You're so beautiful._

_I have to go back to the party. Sleep well. xx_

Eleanor's cheeks feel like she'll never stop smiling.

_Have fun. Talk to you tomorrow. xx_

*

It's been a couple of weeks since Eleanor found out Lou is in One Direction when Lou texts to ask if she can come down to London for the weekend.

_Still have a few band things I have to do, but I'll have time for you._

_Been thinking about a good date to take you on._

Lou's texts come with heart emojis.

Eleanor's heart beats faster. She wants to go on a date with Lou, and she's nervous about taking it from texting to something else. It's only a two-hour train ride, and her parents are in London. She has options if it doesn't work out. Not that she thinks that's likely; she remembers what it felt like to have Lou's hands in her hair and Lou looking into her eyes.

She doesn't have any definite plans for the weekend yet. She can tell Jess and Nicola she's going home.

_Yes! I really want to see you._

Eleanor sends heart emojis with her text too.

They make a plan, and on Friday after she gets out of her last lecture, Eleanor stops by her room to get the bag she packed the night before and gets on the train to London.

She has plenty of time on the journey to be nervous. Her nerves disappear once she's inside Lou's flat and Lou is holding out her arms for a hug. Lou is in jeans and a cosy looking jumper with her hair softly swept across her forehead like in the selfies she sends Eleanor. Her feet are bare.

Eleanor lets her bag drop to the floor and steps in for a hug. In her shoes, she's a couple of inches taller than Lou. It feels strange to be curling down into a hug from someone who isn't just a friend, who is someone she wants more from.

"Hiya, love. So glad you could come."

Lou's hair smells lightly floral, like the last traces of shampoo. She feels solid in Eleanor's arms. There are tingles running up and down Eleanor's body, like every molecule in her body is alive and attuned to what it feels like to have her arms around Lou.

"Thank you for inviting me." It's too formal. What she really wants to say is, _You smell good_ , or, _I'm so happy to be holding you_.

Lou pulls back from her, not very far, and frames Eleanor's face with her hands, like she did the first time they met. "Lookit you, darling. Gorgeous."

Eleanor dares to run her hand over Lou's hair. "I'm so happy to see you in person."

Lou's smile goes even more pleased. "I really want to kiss you," she says, soft like a secret.

"Yes," Eleanor says, breathless, and she leans in to meet Lou's lips with hers.

It's soft, and a little bit awkward the way first kisses always are, and just about perfect. Eleanor feels it all the way down to her toes, and she's even more breathless when the kiss ends.

They're having a moment, and it's wonderful, and then some guy yells, "Louise," dragging out the vowels, "I'm not doing all your cooking for you."

Lou leans back and yells, "Fuck off," into the flat. "Come on," she says to Eleanor.

Eleanor kicks off her shoes and follows Lou into the kitchen. A guy - Harry; she recognizes him from the club and from the telly - is standing at the stove.

"Me flatmate Harry," Lou says. "And Eleanor."

Eleanor isn't imagining the way Lou smiles when she says her name.

"It's very nice to meet you," Harry says, coming toward her with an outstretched hand. "Lou talks about you all the time. It's always 'Eleanor said this' and 'Eleanor thinks that.'"

Eleanor looks at Lou, who's taken Harry's place the stove. Her cheeks are turning a little red, but she's smiling, a close-mouthed thing that crinkles up the edges of her eyes.

Eleanor shakes Harry's hand. "She never talks about you."

Lou lets out a surprised bark of a laugh. Harry looks like a cat that's just been sprayed with water, confused and offended.

"She's fucking with you," Lou says. She waves Eleanor over, and when Eleanor goes, Lou leans over and smacks a kiss onto her cheek. "That's what I like about you, love."

Eleanor smiles at that, and turns it into a smirk when Harry makes an aggravated squawk.

"See if I help you cook anymore," Harry says with a pout.

Lou flips him off. "I can do it myself."

Harry folds his arms and stays put. "She never cooks," he tells Eleanor.

"I know." Eleanor reaches out and rubs her hand down Lou's upper arm. "That's why it's so nice of her to do it for me."

Harry continues to pout. "I don't like you ganging up on me."

Lou turns away from the stove and smacks a kiss onto Harry's cheek. "Stop pouting, darling. I still love you."

Harry's cheeks dimple with his smile. He nudges Lou out of the way with his hip. "You're going to burn it."

"I'm not!" They tussle for a moment; Harry ends up in front of the stove with Lou pushed to the side.

Lou uses the side of her hand to push her hair across her forehead. She pulls herself up straight and smiles at Eleanor.

Eleanor smiles back, helpless not to. Lou's so cute, and she's smiling like she's so happy just to look at Eleanor.

Lou holds out her hand to Eleanor. "He can cook if he wants. I started it."

Eleanor takes Lou's hand. Lou pulls her out of the kitchen and toward a lounge. They sit on a sofa, still holding hands. Now that the ice has been broken, it's easy to talk to Lou. It's like texting with her, only now Eleanor gets to hear her voice and see Lou's expressions and the way she brushes her hair out of her face.

"Ladies," Harry interrupts them. "Dinner is served." He does a sweeping bow to usher them to the table, and pulls out Eleanor's chair for her.

"What about me?" Lou asks.

"What about you?" Harry says. "You should be doing this for your date."

Louis flips him off with both hands.

Eleanor laughs, and Harry flashes them both a grin.

"Have a good night," he says, and even Eleanor can see how hard he's working to not make it suggestive.

"Get out of here," Lou says. She's half laughing with one hand over her face.

Harry takes a plate with him, and turns out lights as he goes. It leaves Eleanor and Lou in only the soft light of the candles on the table. The candlelight turns Lou's skin golden and highlights her cheekbones.

Lou bites her lip. "Is this okay? I know it's," she makes a gesture that Eleanor takes to mean a lot. It is a lot for a first date, but then they've been texting for weeks.

Eleanor reaches out and puts her hand over Lou's. "I like it."

Lou smiles, an almost bashful closed-mouth thing that sends warmth all through Eleanor.

Everything about it is terribly romantic, in a way that keeps Eleanor feeling warm and important all the way through the meal.

*

When it gets late, Lou says, "I can take the sofa and you can have my bed. Or we can share it. If you want. I'm not pressuring you. I don't want to pressure you. We can just sleep."

Lou likes to talk, but that's the most Eleanor has ever heard her babble. Lou's nerves make it easier for Eleanor to be bold. She puts her hand over Lou's mouth to stop her and says, "I want to share." She can feel Lou's smile under her hand.

Eleanor replaces her hand with her mouth and kisses Lou for a long moment. Lou's smiling and calm again when they stop. They both are.

The scarier part is after that, when Eleanor takes off her makeup. It's not like she hasn't sent Lou selfies of herself without makeup, but that's different. That's when she can pick the best lighting and control exactly what Lou sees. This is letting Lou see her face without any filters. Eleanor breathes through it, wishes she could text Jess and Nicola about it.

She brought two sets of pajamas. She leaves the cosy ones in her bag. The ones she puts on are satiny and sexy. The shorts barely cover her bum. The top is a camisole with the thinnest of straps over her shoulders holding it up. She shakes out her hair, settles it so it drapes down over her shoulders. Then she holds her head up high and joins Lou in her bedroom.

Lou looks up from her phone as Eleanor comes in, and then she gapes at her. "Fucking hell, darling." She puts her phone down. "You look." She stops and shakes her head.

It's the first time Eleanor's made Lou speechless. It's a heady feeling.

Lou recovers and crosses the room to Eleanor. The fabric of Eleanor's camisole slips against her skin when Lou touches her.

"Feel like I'm letting you down," Lou says.

Eleanor looks down at Lou's t-shirt and flannel pajama bottoms. "I like it," she says. "You look cosy."

"And you look fit as fuck," Lou says. She leans in and kisses Eleanor, and it's not one of the lighter ones. This is a deep kiss like she's trying to merge them into one person starting with their mouths.

Eleanor wraps her arms around Lou while she kisses her back. Her shirt is soft and well-worn under Eleanor's hands. She feels as cosy as she looks. Or she would if Eleanor weren't also noticing how good it feels to have Lou's body pressed to hers with so few layers between them. Neither of them is wearing a bra.

Lou pulls back first and brushes her hair back with the side of her hand. "Come to bed, gorgeous." She turns out all the lights but for a lamp on one of the bedside tables.

Eleanor follows Lou into bed and leaves her phone on the table next to her side of the bed. She's too full of excitement about being here with Lou and anticipation for what else the night might hold to be tired.

In bed together, they lie on their sides, turned toward each other, looking at each other across the short distance between their pillows. Lou reaches over and pushes Eleanor's hair back, so her face and shoulder are bare. Then her hand slides down, until it's a warm weight resting on Eleanor's shoulder.

"I'm really happy you're here."

There's nowhere to hide Eleanor's smile. Well, if Lou isn't going to be coy about it, she doesn't need to be either. She reaches out to touch, rests her fingertips on Lou's lips, feels her smile under them.

Lou's eyes sparkle at her, and she touches back, moving her hand from Eleanor's shoulder to her hair. "You're so gorgeous, darling."

Eleanor takes more of an initiative; she moves forward enough to kiss Lou, sliding her hand from Lou's mouth to her cheek. It feels even better like this, in Lou's bed together.

Lou puts her arms around Eleanor and pulls her closer. It's a proper snog now, complete with Lou's hand tangling in her hair and Eleanor hooking her arm over Lou's shoulder to hold her close. It feels like everything in Eleanor is lit up, turned on, and focused on Lou. She never knew it would be this good to snog another girl.

And then Lou pushes forward and nudges one leg between Eleanor's, and everything in her that felt lit up turns into lightning running through her body. She gasps into Lou's mouth and clutches her tighter.

Lou pulls back for just a moment and gives Eleanor a pleased, closed-mouth smile before she leans in and kisses her again.

They snog for an endless time. Sparks go off under Eleanor's skin every time their bodies shift against each other. They're both breathing heavily between long, slow kisses.

Lou goes farther first, tucking her hand under Eleanor's shirt and asking, "Okay?" She waits for Eleanor's breathless agreement before she moves her hand up, and then, as they snog, around to cup Eleanor's breast.

It's another one of those moments when everything in Eleanor throws off sparks. She gasps, clings to Lou, and then reciprocates. Lou's skin is smooth under her hand. Touching Lou's breasts is not like touching her own. It's thrilling. Lou's breasts are a different shape from hers, not quite as soft. It feels like a triumph when Lou's nipples pebble under her touch.

Lou catches Eleanor's lip between hers, a luscious slide of their mouths together, and then pulls away and says, "I would- Do you want me to go down on you?"

Eleanor goes hot all over. She's not new to how snogging can become more and more and more, but this feels different. She wants Lou's mouth on her so much. She says, "Yes," and she can feel how red her cheeks are.

Lou pushes the duvet away. She slides down, her hands trailing over Eleanor's skin under her camisole and leaving heat in their wake. When she gets to Eleanor's shorts, she hooks her hands in the waistband, and pulls them down, all the way off of Eleanor's legs.

Eleanor's face stays hot with how vulnerable she feels. She likes Lou so much, and it's been a while since she was close enough to another person to be this intimate with them. And never with a girl. She looks up at the ceiling, giving herself a moment away from the intensity of it.

She looks back at Lou when Lou touches her again. Lou runs her hands over Eleanor's hips, down the outside of her thighs. She comes back up, and pauses with her hands at the waistband of Eleanor's pants. "Yeah?" she asks again.

Eleanor bites her lip, and nods, certain and uncertain all at once.

Lou lays a kiss on the skin just above Eleanor's waistband. It sears, and Eleanor is suddenly hungry for more. She nods again, more certainly.

Lou slides her pants down, just like she did with her shorts.

In the seemingly endless moment between then and when Lou touches her again, when Eleanor is so bared to Lou's gaze, she has a moment to be grateful she shaved, just in case.

Then Lou puts her hands on the inside of Eleanor's thighs. It's all heat, like she's branding her touch into Eleanor's skin. Eleanor feels even hotter when Lou nudges her legs apart and lies down between them.

Lou is not the first person to go down on Eleanor. She is the best. She starts right out by licking over Eleanor's skin, and she keeps on using her tongue and her lips to make Eleanor feel good. Every time Eleanor gasps or moans, Lou does whatever she was doing to make her feel that way again.

All those sparks are running up and down Eleanor's nerves again. There's a fire building inside of her, heat running from her cunt to her belly to her breasts. It's good and good and good, and then it bursts into an overwhelming heat that takes over all of her senses as she comes.

Eleanor swallows back tears at how good she feels even in the aftermath, even when Lou's stopped mouthing at her and is sitting back on her heels smiling down at Eleanor.

Eleanor smiles back, and reaches out her arms, shaky as they feel. "Come here."

Lou does, lying down with Eleanor and meeting her kiss with one of her own. Her mouth tastes like Eleanor. It's surprisingly hot.

It makes Eleanor brave enough to say, "I'll go down on you, but I haven't done it before."

Lou brushes her thumb over Eleanor's bottom lip. "I'd love to be your first, darling." She wiggles out of her pajama bottoms and pants, and pulls off her shirt for good measure.

She's more compact than Eleanor, more solid where Eleanor's slender. There's no hint of nervousness in her. She looks so good that Eleanor's mouth waters.

Eleanor starts small, dropping a kiss on Lou's shoulder. Lou's hand runs over her hair, gentle and encouraging. Eleanor follows the feeling, kissing over the curve of Lou's breast and moving in to take Lou's nipple in her mouth for just a moment. She sucks, looking up to see how Lou likes it.

Above her, Lou's lips turn up and she pets Eleanor's hair again. "I like that, darling."

Eleanor dares to let her teeth just gently graze along Lou's puckered nipple as she pulls away. She places another kiss on the underside of Lou's breast, nips at the gentle skin over her stomach. She pauses at Lou's hips, puts her hands on them and lets her tongue flick out on a kiss to the curves there. She knows what it feels like to kiss skin, to have someone's hips under her hands. The next part is new.

Eleanor slides her hands down Lou's hips to her thighs. She runs them in over the curves of muscle to the inside of Lou's thighs. She puts only the slightest pressure there and Lou spreads her legs for her.

It's not exactly the first time Eleanor's ever seen another girl's cunt; she's a modern woman and she's watched porn. It's different in person. Rawer, better. A fuller experience. Lou's shaved, smooth stretch of skin from her thighs to the center of her. This close Eleanor can smell the rich wetness of her.

Eleanor takes a deep breath, breathing in Lou's scent and the tiny bit of bravery she needs, and then she puts her mouth on Lou. She starts easy, mouthing at the inside of Lou's thigh. That's not so different, and she grins when a nip of her teeth makes Lou make a startled but not displeased noise.

Then she goes farther and gets her mouth on the shaved skin between Lou's thigh and her cunt. It's smooth under her lips, and Lou lets out a sigh at the touch.

Eleanor licks, and she can feel Lou twitch under her. She licks in, until she's got her tongue on the folds of Lou's cunt. Lou's swollen and wet under her mouth. It's so different from going down on a guy. Not as perfunctory. More luscious.

Eleanor licks and mouths at Lou, feeling out all the tastes and textures to be had. Lou lets her know when she does something she likes, says so or moans, and Eleanor tries to do as much of those things as she can. She's enjoying this, but it's supposed to be for Lou.

She knows she's doing it right when Lou starts saying, "Yeah, right there, love," and pushing her hips up into Eleanor's mouth. Her cunt is so wet, the scent and taste so sharp. Eleanor does everything Lou said she liked, and she feels so good about it when Lou lets out a long moan and shakes apart under her mouth.

Eleanor stays there, keeps licking and mouthing at Lou because she likes it and because she wants to draw it out for Lou.

Lou sighs and lets her go for a while before she says, "Bit too much now, love."

It's a shock how much Eleanor doesn't want to stop. She does, of course, draws her mouth off of Lou slowly, licks her lips and works her jaw. It feels used in a different way from what it's like to go down on a guy.

Lou's smile is hazy and tired, and she unhesitatingly holds her arms out to Eleanor.

Eleanor goes into them, and Lou kisses her as enthusiastically as she did at the beginning, before they'd had their mouths on each other's cunts. It's much nicer than kissing a guy after going down on him. It's all so much nicer. So much better.

"You did so well, darling," Lou says. "That was lovely."

Eleanor can feel herself flushing with pleasure. She kisses Lou, because saying thank you seems strange under the circumstances. Then she rolls to the side and lies next to Lou, breathing too hard and thinking too much now.

Lou props herself up on an elbow and looks down at her, all soft and pleased and admiring.

"I'm really a lesbian." Eleanor says it out loud without meaning to.

Something hurt starts to cross Lou's face.

Eleanor puts her hand on Lou's cheek. "I wasn't, like, experimenting with you," she says. "I thought I was bi, but I'm not." Then she keeps going, like everything she's figuring out about herself is just pouring out without her thinking about it. "It turns out it's not about the person. I've never had sex that good with a guy. I don't think I would like you this much if you weren't a girl." And then her eyes are tearing up and, god, this is so not what she meant to do. "I've never even told anyone I liked girls."

Lou's eyes tear up too, and she wraps her arms around Eleanor. "Oh, darling." She holds Eleanor and says soothing things while Eleanor clings to her and does her best to stop crying.

"Sorry," Eleanor says when she thinks she can talk again. She wipes her eyes with the heels of her hands. She tries to smile, but thinks it probably comes out wobbly. "That probably wasn't what you were expecting when you invited me."

"No," Lou says with a gentle laugh. She's wiped away her own tears and she strokes her hand over Eleanor's hair. "But it's all right, love." Her lips quirk into a mischievous smile. "I'm quite pleased to be good enough to ruin you for men forever."

Eleanor laughs, a little wetly. "I don't think that's how it works." She puts her hand on Lou's shoulder, pulling herself just a little closer to Lou again. "Thanks."

Lou takes Eleanor's hand and kisses her palm. "Darling," she says, "I'm still so glad you're here. I want you to tell me things about yourself." She tugs Eleanor into her arms. "I'll tell you how I figured out myself tomorrow." She runs her hand over Eleanor's hair and all the way down her back. "Think you could use some sleep now."

Eleanor nods, and she nestles in close to Lou. She's taller, but Lou tucks her head under her chin. It's easier to fall asleep with her than Eleanor would have guessed.

*

Eleanor wakes up in the morning because there's an alarm she doesn't recognize going off.

Someone makes a grumbling noise, there's a clatter of a phone against the nightstand, and the alarm stops.

Last night comes back in a rush, Lou cooking for her and the best sex of Eleanor's life and crying all over Lou. She can feel her cheeks heating up, but she opens her eyes anyway. Next to her, Lou has her eyes scrunched shut and is curled up toward her pillow.

"Do you have to be somewhere?" Eleanor asks her.

Lou makes an adorable grumpy noise. "Not yet." Her voice is hoarse and grainy with sleep. Then she blinks her eyes open and looks at Eleanor. Her gaze is bleary for a moment, and then she smiles, all soft and gentle. "Morning, darling."

Eleanor smiles back. Lou is so completely adorable, and she's still smiling at her even after Eleanor cried all over her. "Good morning."

Lou's smile widens. "Hate mornings, I do." She reaches out and brushes Eleanor's hair out of her face. "Better with you in my bed."

That makes Eleanor blush for sure.

Lou leans in and kisses her cheek, sweet and chaste. "Me alarm's gonna go off again in a minute. You can stay here." A slight flush comes up over her cheeks. "Like to think about you in my bed while I'm doing band things."

"Okay," Eleanor says. Her cheeks have to be dark red now. Lou doesn't seem to mind; she leans in and kisses Eleanor's cheek again, and then her lips, sweet and close-mouthed.

A bang on the door makes Lou jerk back.

"Get up, Louise. I'm making tea," Harry calls through the door.

"Fuck off, Harold," Lou yells back.

Eleanor giggles.

Lou smiles down at her. "Wish I could stay here with you." She leans in toward Eleanor again, and then flops back when her phone's alarm goes off again. She makes a grumpy noise, and grabs at her phone. "Fuck," she mutters. Then she hauls herself out of bed and into the bathroom.

Eleanor puts her hands over her face to hide her giddy smile, then pushes her hair back to try to recover some of her composure. She's managing a normal smile when Lou comes back.

Lou leans over her and kisses her, a quick soft press of lips to lips. "There's tea, food, whatever. Help yourself. Or just stay in bed." Lou sweeps Eleanor's hair back. "Wouldn't mind that."

Eleanor reaches up to brush her hand over the curve of Lou's cheek. "Go on. I'll be here."

Lou grins at her, all bright sunshine. She leans in and kisses Eleanor again.

"Louise," Harry calls.

Lou makes an annoyed noise and stands up, pushing her hair back with the side of her hand. "Bye, darlin'." She pauses at the door and says, "I didn't forget I promised to tell you about me today. When I get back."

Eleanor nods and waves goodbye, laughing when Lou blows her a kiss before she closes the door behind her.

Alone, Eleanor doesn't have to hide behind her hands. _Oh my God_ , she mouths silently. Lou is the cutest thing, and fit too. And good in bed. Eleanor has definitive proof of that now.

_I'm really a lesbian_ , she thinks, and it's easier to think it now that she's slept with that knowledge. She likes girls, incontrovertibly. It's easier, but it still rearranges so much of what she's thought about herself and what she's imagined for her future. She's never going to fall in love with and marry a man. Any children she has will be fully, wholeheartedly planned. She's going to have to come out to her parents and her friends and anyone she ever meets who she wants to know the full truth about her.

Eleanor has to take a couple of breaths, presses her hands over her eyes when she starts to tear up. She's going to have to tell people. But not yet, she tells herself. Not today. Today, she just has to wait for Lou.

Thinking about Lou settles her. Lou, with her sunny smiles and her easy affection and her skills in bed. Fuck, that's better. Last night Eleanor had the best sex of her life, and given how reluctant Lou was to leave the bed, she's going to get to do it again today. Do Lou again, she thinks, and laughs at herself.

She should probably do some reading so this weekend doesn't put her behind on her uni studies. Or she could stay in Lou's nice, comfortable bed, a bed that smells like Lou and, now, a little like sex. She could go back to sleep.

She doesn't, in the end, go back to sleep. She does have a bit of a lie-in, glorying in being in Lou's bed with nothing to do and nowhere to go. Eventually she gets up, brushes her teeth, and helps herself to tea and toast.

By the time Lou and Harry get back, she's checked her phone and is on their couch in jeans and a jumper doing some reading for one of her classes.

Lou flops down onto the couch and gives her an over-exaggerated mournful look. "I was so looking forward to coming back to a gorgeous girl in my bed."

Eleanor laughs and sets her book aside. She sifts her fingers through Lou's hair and bends over to kiss her lightly. "Sorry to disappoint you."

"I'm very disappointed," Lou says with a pout. "You should make it up to me."

Eleanor bends over her and kisses her more deeply. Lou wraps her arms around Eleanor's shoulders, holding herself up and Eleanor down, and it turns into an even deeper kiss.

"Mmm," Lou says. "That's much better." She takes one of Eleanor's hands in hers and kisses the back of it.

It's silly and romantic and makes Eleanor blush.

Harry brings them both cups of tea, and says, "I'll be in my room, with earbuds in."

Lou flips him off before sitting up, shoulder to shoulder with Eleanor, to drink her tea. "Promised to tell you about me," she says.

"You don't have to." Just because Eleanor cried all over her yesterday doesn't mean Lou owes her any kind of return confession.

"Nah," Lou says. "It's alright. Long as you don't go selling it to the tabloids. Don't usually tell people the whole story."

"I wouldn't." Eleanor squeezes Lou's hand.

Lou squeezes her hand back before she starts. "I had boyfriends. Held hands, snogged a bit, you know. Never wanted to do anything else with them. Thought maybe something was wrong with me."

Eleanor leans against Lou's shoulder, offering her some silent comfort.

"There were girls I was friends with, like, those really intense friendships, would cuddle a bit or hold hands sometimes. Then I failed my A levels." Lou waves her free hand. "Not, like, because of all that or anything. I wasn't much into school. Not like you." She grins and presses a kiss to Eleanor's cheek.

Eleanor lets herself giggle a little at the sentiment, and leans into Lou's shoulder to let her know she's still listening.

"I'm very close with me mum," Lou goes on. "I tell her everything." She sighs. "Maybe I would've figured meself out a bit earlier if I'd told her about it, but I didn't. Anyway, I got cast in the musical at my new school. I was Rizzo in Grease."

She sounds so proud of herself for it that Eleanor can't help grinning at her.

Lou grins back before she continues. "The girl playing Sandy was just lovely. Spent a lot of time with her, rehearsals and things. I started to figure it out then, cause I liked her so much and wanted to kiss her. Was sure about it after she kissed me." Lou looks soft and pleased with the memory. Then she brings herself back to the present and squeezes Eleanor's hand. "I told me mum then. We talked about it a bit, and again after I told her I'd slept with her. Me mum is amazing. She was so supportive, even back then." Lou sets her teacup down and turns to fully face Eleanor. "So you see, darling, you're not the only one who figured it out when there was a girl involved."

Eleanor nods, unable to speak for a moment. Then she asks, "What happened to the girl playing Sandy?"

"Ah, her," Lou says. "Think she got a bit scared about being with a girl in public. Wouldn't hold hands or anything." She smiles a little sadly. "Didn't last long."

Eleanor bites her lip. "I've never told anyone I liked girls." She reaches for Lou's hand and grips it tight. "I'm going to have to, now that I know it's just girls."

"Ah, love," Lou says. She brings Eleanor's hand up and kisses the back of it. "I wanted to take you out, but I think it's best we don't yet. There'll probably be a lot of attention if we do. Maybe when you're ready for it."

Eleanor looks down at her lap, at her free hand and the tea she's letting get cold. "I'm sorry," she says. "I know you made plans."

Lou's hand cups Eleanor's cheek and she tips Eleanor's head up so their eyes meet. "Don't be sorry, darling." She brushes her lips against Eleanor's. "I wanted to do something nice for you. Wouldn't be very nice if I made your life harder." She kisses Eleanor again. "I'm happy to just be with you. We can order pizza."

Eleanor blinks back a sudden prickle of tears and pulls away from Lou to put her teacup down before leaning in again. "Are you sure?" she asks in a whisper.

"Ah, love." Lou brushes her thumb over Eleanor's cheek. "I like you a lot, and last night," she lets out a dreamy sigh, "was amazing. I don't want to be with someone who's closeted forever, but if you need some time, I can wait."

Eleanor nods. "Okay," she says. She shifts her grip on Lou's hand so their fingers are intertwined. "I like you a lot too." She smiles at Lou, answering the softness on Lou's face. "And last night was the best sex I've ever had."

Lou's smile turns into a smirk. "Well, darling, let's see if we can do even better tonight."

Eleanor giggles, and then moans when Lou kisses her deeply. There are people she's going to have to tell and things she's going to have to think about, but all she has to do now is be here and snog Lou. That's the easy part.


End file.
